Chapter 267

Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW

Qin Shiyue said: “Very good, Innkeeper, you’ve gone to some trouble. I never expected that, despite your inn’s ordinary appearance, the food here would be top-notch. Truly, one cannot judge by appearances.”

The innkeeper’s face flushed slightly as he cupped his hands and said: “Master, you misunderstand. How could my humble inn afford such an extravagant spread? Everything was arranged in advance by a certain lord. Even the chef was brought by him. My small inn did not prepare any of this.”

“Oh? Where is this person you speak of? Why hasn’t he come in to meet us?”

The innkeeper smiled apologetically and said: “That lord already left before you three arrived in town. He only instructed our inn to serve you well.”

“What does he look like? How was he dressed? Did he leave a name?”

“Master Qin, please forgive me. That lord specifically instructed me not to say too much, only mentioning that he is an old acquaintance of yours. I do not know his name.”

“Oh, I see. Fine, I won’t make things difficult for you. We’ve had our fill, so let’s arrange for some rest.”

“Yes, Master. This humble inn has been cleared out for the day and is reserved solely for the three of you. Please follow me.”

With that, the innkeeper led the three to a secluded courtyard at the back and said with a smile: “This courtyard has three guest rooms. Please rest well, Masters. I will be waiting here. If you need anything, just call for me.”

Qin Shiyue nodded, glanced at the courtyard, and went straight into the central room. Yingfei shot a look at Zhang Xiaohua before choosing a room for himself. During the day, the two had been somewhat wary of Zhang Xiaohua escaping, but by nightfall, their concerns had vanished. They knew that even if he tried to run, he wouldn’t get far.

Zhang Xiaohua smiled bitterly. Seeing the innkeeper respectfully standing at the courtyard gate, he thought to himself, To have the innkeeper personally stand guard… they must have paid quite a sum!

With that, he headed into the last room.

The room was neat and tidy, unexpectedly a suite with one main area and two sleeping quarters. Zhang Xiaohua carefully closed the door and sat cross-legged on the bed. These past few days, he had been constantly following Qin Shiyue and the others. Apart from absorbing Yuan Qi from the Yuan Stone and quietly comprehending the Earth Escape Technique, he had no time to practice the Big Dipper Fist or the left-handed sword techniques.

Now that he was finally alone, he had no intention of practicing them either. Although he had pieced together the Big Dipper Divine Fist himself, seeing how much importance Ou Peng placed on it, it likely had some connection to the Immortal Dao. He didn’t want to invite unnecessary trouble. If Qin Shiyue were to witness it, it would undoubtedly bring him problems.

Over the past few days, he had been contemplating the incantation for the Earth Escape Technique, but he dared not attempt it lightly. Previously, when the Three Auspicious Treasures using the Three Talents Flag Gate Formation had formed hand seals, Qin Shiyue had seen it. If he were to try it in front of him, it would likewise be inviting trouble.

Zhang Xiaohua first closed his eyes and cultivated the Carefree Heart Sutra for a while. Only then did he recall the incantation of the Earth Escape Technique. Combining it with his recent comprehension, he began forming the hand seals. The incantation for this technique was unexpectedly complex, consisting of nine distinct seals, each differing completely from the others and requiring seamless execution. As someone encountering such incantations for the first time, Zhang Xiaohua had no idea where to begin.

Recalling how the Three Auspicious Treasures had performed their incantations in Ma Rulong’s estate, Zhang Xiaohua decided to ignore the continuity for now. He would first focus on mastering the first seal before moving on.

In truth, the execution of incantations was similar to the breathing techniques of a heart sutra—it all depended on rhythm. Each hand seal had a corresponding point where True Qi had to be guided. If he had a master, a few pointers would be enough to grasp the key elements. But Zhang Xiaohua was not so fortunate and had to figure it out on his own, making entry exceedingly difficult. However, this also had its advantages. Since he was exploring on his own, he would thoroughly understand the strengths and weaknesses. Once he grasped the fundamentals, cultivating further incantations would be easier. Unlike those who relied on predecessors’ teachings, who would still require a master’s guidance for future techniques, his self-taught approach, though difficult at first, would lead to greater independence.

As expected, although Zhang Xiaohua had felt in the past few days that his comprehension was solid and that he only lacked practical application, his first actual attempt was utterly disastrous. No matter how he changed his finger positions, he couldn’t achieve the state described in the incantation. Meanwhile, his True Qi refused to synchronize with the shifting hand seals.

If it were an ordinary person, they might have already grown impatient and thought of giving up.

But Zhang Xiaohua was different. His intelligence might not be high, and his natural talent might not be outstanding, but he had one strength—once he set his mind on something, he would throw himself into it completely, persisting until he reached a conclusion. Whether success or failure, he would have no regrets.

Moreover, Zhang Xiaohua had already experienced this through cultivating the Carefree Heart Sutra. Nothing in the world was achieved in one attempt. Success often came after thousands of failures. So he remained patient, practicing over and over again. Only when his fingers grew sore did he take a brief rest, absorbing Yuan Qi to recover.

Back at Ma Rulong’s estate, Ma Rulong had mentioned signs that the Yuan Qi of Heaven and Earth was recovering. But from Zhang Xiaohua’s divine sense, the world’s ambient Qi was still sparse. If he relied solely on it, the Carefree Heart Sutra wouldn’t progress at all. His cultivation still depended on that tiny Yuan Stone, no bigger than a fingertip.

This small Yuan Stone was truly remarkable. Despite his continuous absorption, its Qi didn’t seem to diminish. The thought alone made Zhang Xiaohua grin. According to the Heart Sutra, a few uses should have depleted its energy. If that were true, even with the large Yuan Stone in his pouch, it wouldn’t last long. But now, with just this small piece sustaining him for so long, he no longer had to worry about running out of resources for cultivation.

Of course, Zhang Xiaohua attributed this phenomenon to the fact that he had only just begun his Qi Refinement. His absorption rate was still low. Once he reached the higher levels, he would likely need much more. But didn’t Ou Peng, Ma Rulong, and even that Emperor Shitian all say that the Yuan Qi of Heaven and Earth was increasing? Perhaps, by then, he wouldn’t need Yuan Stones at all.

After finishing his absorption, Zhang Xiaohua resumed his practice.

It was unclear how many attempts he had made. His mind had already grown numb to failure, and he no longer held high expectations. Instead, he returned to his usual calm, as still as an ancient well. Perhaps it was precisely this detached mindset that made the difference. During one particular attempt, he suddenly felt an immense force of attraction from the hand seal he was forming—drawing in the true qi that had just reached that point. The pull was so strong that Zhang Xiaohua couldn’t resist it. In an instant, his entire body’s true qi was completely drained, surging into the seal in his hands.

At that moment, Zhang Xiaohua knew—he had comprehended this seal. More than that, he had truly succeeded in executing it.

Zhang Xiaohua immediately changed his hand seals, attempting to form the next incantation. However, whether it was because he had performed the seal incorrectly or because his True Qi was already depleted, the second incantation failed. The qi he had just drawn out instantly dispersed from his hands. Zhang Xiaohua felt a sharp pang in his heart. That was qi he had painstakingly cultivated for days—how could it all be gone in an instant?

He quickly released his divine sense, circulating the [Carefree Heart Sutra] at full force to reclaim as much of the scattered True Qi as possible. This was all Yuan Qi of Heaven and Earth—extremely precious. He couldn’t afford to waste it.

Unfortunately, even though he reacted swiftly, he was only able to recover about sixty percent of the qi. The remaining forty percent dissipated into the heavens and earth.

Still, Zhang Xiaohua had no regrets. Compared to what he had gained today, this loss was nothing. At worst, he just had to absorb more qi.

Glancing at the sky, Zhang Xiaohua decided not to continue practicing incantations. Instead, he took out another Yuan Stone from his robe, holding one in each hand as he sat cross-legged, quietly absorbing their energy.

Before long, he fell into a deep slumber. Once again, endless starlight surrounded his body, and the Yuan Stones in his hands emitted a faint glow. The rate of absorption was astonishing—several times faster than what Zhang Xiaohua could achieve when awake. In less than a moment, all the true qi he had lost was replenished, yet the Yuan Stones continued pouring energy into his body.

In another room, Qin Shiyue and Ying Fei were engaged in conversation.

Qin Shiyue pointed to a pouch on the table and said: “Ying Fei, head out and deliver the ancient jade artifacts we collected over the past few days to the local contact point. Make sure they reach the Cult Master as soon as possible.”

Ying Fei stepped forward, picked up the pouch, and said: “Understood, Daren. I’ll go right away. But… today’s events feel a bit unusual. Should we wait until tomorrow before delivering it?”

Qin Shiyue chuckled. “No need. Although we don’t yet know who’s behind this, it doesn’t affect us for now. The best approach is to remain steady and unchanged. The Cult Master has been eagerly awaiting these jade artifacts, so it’s best to send them back as soon as possible.”

Ying Fei grinned. “To be honest, tasks like this can be handled by us subordinates. Why trouble yourself, Daren?”

Qin Shiyue replied: “Ying Fei, you still don’t understand how important this mission is. If it weren’t necessary, do you think the Cult Master would have sent me personally? Without me here, do you think you could have escaped from Ma Rulong in Xinji Town?”

Ying Fei immediately forced a smile and said: “You’re right, Daren. I was careless. I’ll take care of it right away.”

“By the way,” Qin Shiyue called out to stop him. “That kid who calls himself Ren Xiaoyao—he’s asleep, isn’t he?”

“Of course. I don’t know what kind of reincarnation that brat is, but when it’s time to sleep, he sleeps like the dead. You could shout in his ear, and he still wouldn’t wake up. If he’s awake at this hour, even the heavens would find it laughable.”

“Have you sensed anyone following us?”

“No, Daren.”

“Strange… We have Ren Xiaoyao in our hands, yet his backers haven’t made any moves to retrieve him. Could it be that he really has no connection to that ‘Bronze Cauldron’ like he claims?”

“Not necessarily, Daren. Maybe he’s just a low-level pawn who knows very little about their organization. Even if we caught him, they might be confident that we won’t be able to trace anything back to them. Perhaps they’ve already abandoned him.”

“Hmm, that’s possible. Either way, we still have to bring this burden back to the sect. Whether he’s unrelated or just a small pawn, we’ll leave it for the Cult Master to decide. In any case, we failed to retrieve the Bronze Cauldron, so the Cult Master will surely be displeased. Let’s just hope that the other things we’ve acquired will be enough to win his favor.”